Poison in my Heart
by Solunaterr
Summary: This is Poison Study by Maria Snyder from Valek's point of view.
1. First Meeting

**Poison in my Heart**

**By solunaterr**

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters or other names.

**Chapter 1: First Meeting**

I looked around my cluttered office and sighed. The desk was a mess and piles of papers were scattered around the room. So much to do and so little time. I kept telling myself I would clean this and never got around to it. There always something, like guarding the commander or assassinating a magician, that needed to be taken care of first.

A knock at the door drew me from my thoughts. Finally, the prisoner was here.

"Come in," I said tiredly.

The inmate walked in with two guards, and a surprised look crossed my usually expressionless face.

"A woman? The next prisoner to be executed is a woman?" I asked. She was dressed in a ripped red dress and covered with dirt and grime, the typical appearance of one who had spent a year in the dungeon. While her entire body admitted defeat, her green eyes shone with life. She was almost pretty, but her beaten appearance masked any remarkable features.

"I should have taken the time to reread your dossier." Then I motioned the guards out the door and said, "You're dismissed."

When the guards closed the door, she relaxed slightly. I motioned her into the chair in front of me, and she perched on the edge, unwilling to get comfortable.

I felt her eyes on me as I opened her folder. I glanced at the top to find her name. Yelena. It was smooth, calming. I quickly scanned the rest of the file, looking for anything else I had missed earlier. Nothing. Good.

"Yelena, today may be your lucky day," I said and watched her face for a reaction. Her eyes flashed. She looked like she wanted to say something but held it back. She bent her head forward and refused to look at me. Interesting. Her body language again suggested total obedience but her eyes said something different. What was she really thinking?

Finally I continued, "Well-behaved and respectful. You're starting to look like a good candidate." I stopped again to study her. Yelena's eyes searched my desk. I noticed her gaze rest on the black panther statues sitting on my desk. I had carved those long ago, almost 15 years, when I first moved into this office.

"You've been tried and found guilty of murdering General Brazell's only son, Reyard." Finally I made the connection. This woman had already caused me a lot of trouble. I rubbed my hand over my face.

"That explains why Brazell's here this week and why he has been unusually interested in the execution schedule," I explained, more voicing my thoughts out loud than explaining things to her.

"I suppose you're going to protest the conviction. Say you were framed or you killed out of self-defense."

They always have an excuse. Personally, I believe in second chances, but the Commander, who makes the laws, does not. You're guilty or not. There is no in between. I leaned back to listen to the pleas I had heard from hundreds of prisoners hundreds of times.

"No, sir. I killed him," Yelena whispered. That surprised me. I straightened up and looked at her. Most prisoners at least tried to avoid being killed. Then I laughed.

"This may work better than I'd planned. Yelena, I'm offering you a choice. You can either be executed, or you can be Commander Ambrose's new food taster. His last one died recently, and we need to fill the position." She looked at me with her mouth wide open. Finally, something normal.

"A fool would refuse the job," Yelena said, her voice still raspy from a year of disuse.

"Well, it's a lifetime position. The training can be lethal. After all, how can you identify poisons in the Commander's food if you don't know what they taste like?" I said casually as I straightened my desk. I smiled to myself. Only I could talk about lethal poisons in a casual manner.

"You'll get a room in the castle to sleep, but most of the day you'll be with the Commander. No days off. No husband or children. Some prisoners have chosen execution instead. At least they know exactly when they're going to die, rather than guessing if it's going to come with the next bite." I smiled evilly, as I thought of all those poisons. So easy, so sly, poisons were my weapons of choice when I was assassinating the nobles.

I once again studied her reaction. The woman's entire body shook as all of this went through her mind, and the surprise and shock showed clearly on her face.

"Who tastes the Commander's food now?" Yelena asked. Interesting. I hadn't been expecting that question. Most inmates wondered how they would be kept in line and kept from escaping.

"I do. So I'm anxious to find a replacement. Also the Code of Behavior states that someone whose life is forfeit must be offered the job," I replied.

The young woman stood up and began to pace, dragging her chains with her. After a minute or two, I began to get impatient.

"What shall I tell the executioner?" I inquired.

"I am not a fool," Yelena responded.

Good. I closed her folder and walked to my office door. Opening the door, I told the guards outside to remove her manacles and to fetch Margg. One of them stepped inside and unlocked her chains while the other walked down the hallway to the servant's wing. She touched her bloody neck and examined her red wrists. Looking faint, Yelena searched for a chair and sat down. Almost every prisoner felt dizzy after having all that extra weight removed so I wasn't worried.

While she tried to avoid blacking out, I unlocked my cabinet to pour two drinks. Wine made with fresh oranges was poured into my glass, while she received wine made with rotten fruit. I was putting away the second bottle when she finally looked up. Good. She hadn't noticed that the drinks came from separate bottles.

"While we're waiting for Margg, I thought maybe you could use a drink," I said while handing her the goblet with rotten oranges.

I then raised the other glass for a toast, "To Yelena, our newest food taster. May you last longer than your predecessor." And may you stay on my good side.

She hesitated, but I reassured her by saying, "Relax, it's a standard toast."

Yelena took a long drink and grimaced as her stomach churned. Prisoners had a hard time consuming anything other than bread and water when they were first set free.

"What are the ingredients in the wine?" I asked. Time to start training.

She took another smaller sip and replied, "Peaches sweetened with honey."

Obviously. I held back a condescending remark and said, "Good. Now take another sip. This time roll the liquid around your tongue before swallowing."

She obeyed and noticed the light citrus flavor.

"That's right. Now gargle it."

"Gargle?" Yelena asked.

I nodded and she complied.

Then, after almost spitting the liquid out, she exclaimed, "Rotten oranges!"

I laughed. The fifth time it was still funny. I then passed her my drink.

"Now do the same with mine," I instructed.

After a slight pause, she did as she was told. Relief spread across her face as she tasted fresh oranges.

"Better?" I asked and took back the cup.

"Yes."

I opened her file again and noted her ability to taste the poison. Some of the previous candidates had not been able to taste the oranges at all. They didn't last much longer. I can't have a poison taster who can't taste poisons.

As I wrote I explained, "You just had your first lesson in food tasting. Your drink was laced with a poison called Butterfly's Dust. Mine wasn't. The only way to detect Butterfly's Dust in a liquid is to gargle it. That rotten-orange flavor you tasted was the poison."

She stood up looking confused. "Is it lethal?"

"A big enough dose will kill you in two days. The symptoms don't arrive until the second day, but by then it's too late."

"Did I have a lethal dose?"

"Of course. Anything less and you wouldn't have tasted the poison."

Yelena looked like she was about to vomit but some how managed to hold it back. For that, I was grateful. Too many important papers would be ruined if she threw up all over my desk. I looked up from her file to study her face. Years of pain showed in her eyes. This "poison" just added to her long list of terrible things that had happened to her.

Returning to the task at hand, I said sternly, "I warned you the training would be dangerous. But I would hardly give you a poison your body had to fight while you suffered from malnutrition. There is an antidote to Butterfly's Dust."

I reached behind me and grabbed a bottle filled with a white liquid. When she realized she might still live, her body collapsed back into her chair. So many surprises in just a few minutes. It wasn't shocking that she hadn't realized that the antidote had not yet been offered to her.

"In answer to the question you didn't ask but should have, this-" I shook the bottle, "-is how we keep the Commander's food taster from escaping," I explained.

She looked at me, obviously not understanding what I meant.

"Yelena, you confessed to murder. We would be fools to let you serve the Commander without some guarantees. Guards watch the Commander at all times and it is doubtful you would be able to reach him with a weapon. For other forms of retaliation, we use Butterfly's Dust."

I picked up the vial and twirled it, admiring the way it poisoned.

"You need a daily dose of this to stay alive. The antidote keeps the poison from killing you. As long as you show up each morning on my office, I will give you the antidote. Miss one morning and you'll be dead by the next. Commit a crime or an act of treason and you'll be sent back to the dungeon until the poison takes you. I would avoid that fate, if I were you. The poison causes severe stomach cramps and uncontrollable vomiting. "

As I finished my explanation, Margg entered the room.

"Yelena, this is Margg. She will take care of your basic needs," I said.

Margg began to walk to the door again, expecting Yelena to follow her. Yelena hesitated and looked at the "antidote" on my desk.

"Come to my office tomorrow morning. Margg will direct you," I reassured her.

Finally, she left to hurry after Margg. When the door closed, I put my head in my hands. Something told me that this young woman was going to cause me a lot of trouble.


	2. Dinner Alone, Again

**Poison in my Heart Chapter 2: Dinner Alone, Again**

**By Solunaterr**

After Yelena left, I turned my attention to the pile of paper on my desk. Most of them were reports from spies in Sitia. Minor events, a few secret meetings, where the master magicians were. None of it was very important. Bored, I pulled out Yelena's file again and began to actually read it. I still did not know why she had killed Reyad.

I looked carefully at every page. She was an orphan. Interesting. That would explain why she was close enough to Brazell's son to kill him. She lived in his orphanage. Why did Yelena kill her benefactor?

After a few minutes I closed the folder. There wasn't anything regarding the murder except that it stated that Yelena refused to answer any questions. A mystery for me to solve then. Wonderful. I love mysteries.

I filed the folder away and left the officer, locking it behind me. The locks were there to keep the stupid thieves and assassins out. Any good criminal could easily get through them. My reputation kept thieves out better than any lock or trap.

I had about an hour before tasting the Commander's dinner so I decided to get some knife practice in. I was a little rusty from not practicing for two weeks.

I walked calmly down to the practice yard and smelled the fresh afternoon air. I loved being outside. I took every chance I got to leave the castle. Some times it felt like the building was a prison.

Ari and Janco were dueling with swords in the middle of the field. Janco was steadily gaining the upper hand with his quick movements and taunts. That surprised me. Ari usually dominated with his superior strength. Janco had been practicing.

I pulled my knife out of my belt and walked over to a clear space. Beginning with some simple parries and jabs, I stretched my muscles. Then I moved on to some more complicated maneuvers. They came instinctively and my mind drifted back to Yelena. She was a puzzle. No family, no reason for the crime, no history before the orphanage.

Before I had realized it, an hour had passed and I was going to be late again. That would be the third time this week. The Commander would not be happy.

I ran up to the castle and down the to the Commander's office. He was waiting with a cold tray of food and a glare. I looked at his eyes and saw that he wasn't really thinking about the cold meal. The man desperately wanted information, probably about the new food taster.

I slowly tasted every plate and cup and waited for him to start the conversation.

"Valek, how does the new food taster look?" the ruler asked calmly, hiding his desperate desire for information.

"She's thin. Very thin. But she has some sort of hidden strength. I think she will do better than the previous one," I replied.

"So it's a woman. That is very interesting. Who did she kill?" the Commander inquired.

I grimaced. I had not planned on telling him this piece of information unless he asked. Things could get ugly for her if he knew.

"Brazell's son, Reyad."

The man thought for a minute and then dismissed me.

I walked carefully out the door and to the bathes. I felt dirty after my short practice outside.

After I cleaned up, I went in search of something to eat. That meant I had to find Margg. I would rather avoid the kitchens if I could. Rand and I have never been on the best of terms.

It didn't take long to find the maid. I asked her to bring a meal to my suite and then headed there myself.

After carefully unlocking the door, I did a careful sweep of every room. I double-checked the ceiling and outside the windows because they are an assassin's favorite places to hide. I would know.

My search proved that no one had entered my room, so I went into the downstairs living room and began to read a new book on poisons I had found yesterday. Confiscated would be a better word than found. A man had been caught attempting to enter the castle and he had it on him. It was the general assumption that he had been trying to poison the  
Commander.

I already knew most of it but found a few tips on blade poisoning so I kept reading. Margg arrived with the food after a few minutes. She did not leave immediately like she normally did. Instead, the woman stood in front of my desk nervously.

"Margg, is there anything you want to tell me?" I asked. It bothered me that she didn't feel comfortable enough to talk to me outright.

She continued to rock from foot to foot but then said, "How can you trust this woman? She did not kill by accident like the others! You have no information on her. She could easily be a member of a rebel organization or completely mad!'

I studied her for a minute. Her lack of faith in my decisions and my ability to guard the Commander bothered me even more. Did she really think that I would do anything that would put the Commander in any danger at all?

"Margg, of course I cannot completely trust her. But for the next few weeks I will be with her almost all day. I hope that I am trained enough to be able to tell if she is plotting against the government in that amount of time. Before I deem her trustworthy, Yelena will not be any where near the Commander. Does that set your mind at rest?" I calmly explained.

"For now," she said and walked out the door.

Of course it didn't. Margg was naturally untrusting. It was a trait I admired in her. She was able to see what a person's true intent was easily.

I ate my dinner alone, the way I had almost every day for several years. The only times I had any dinner company was when I ate with the Commander. Sometimes I got very lonely, but most of the time I enjoyed the silence. I allowed me to think and plan. Sometimes, this was the only quiet time in my entire day.

After finishing the meal, I spent the rest of the night finishing the book. Then I went upstairs to go to bed.

As I lay awake, I planned my first poison tasting lesson with Yelena for tomorrow. It would be interesting to see how she did. If she performed poorly, her life would not be a whole lot longer. There was no room in the castle for an inept poison taster.


	3. Poisoned Breakfast

Chapter 3 

AN: I know, I know. I took way, way too long to update. I have some really exciting news though! The wonderful Maria Snyder has read and reviewed this story! I'll try to update more often but no promises. I really busy with all of my schoolwork and my other story. Thanks for reading!

I woke up about half an hour before the sunrise like usual but I had an unusual feeling that something new and exciting was going to happen today. I had no idea what it was. The only thing out of the ordinary was the first poison taster lesson with Yelena. It was hardly something to be excited about.

I carefully climbed out of bed and checked every nook and cranny of the room. It was too easy for an assassin to sneak into my room during the night despite all of my precautions. Nothing out of the ordinary. Now to find breakfast.

Margg was waiting at the bottom of the stairs with my breakfast tray. She placed it carefully on my desk and stood waiting for further instructions.

"Any new information on Star?" I asked while I sat down to eat.

"She has some new informant. I've been trying to discover his identity but she keeps the secret close to her," Margg replied. She was one of my most useful spies even though she had been trained to be a common housemaid. She was untrusting and not very noticeable. Also, she was a good actor. All were important traits for a spy.

"Do you need some extra help? I can spare a man or two," I suggested.

"No. Just give me a little more time."

I dismissed her and she went to wake up Yelena.

I ate breakfast and looked over the new reports that had come in during the night. They were actually from three days ago due to the amount of time it took to travel from end of the country to the other even when you ride as fast as possible.

When I noticed that the sun was beginning to rise, I stood up and walked to my office. After unlocking the many locks, I entered the room.

Two plates of hot breakfast sat on a tray in front of my desk, waiting to be prepared for the lesson.

I removed the blue jar of Tigtus from my locked poison cabinet and sprinkled it on the plate to the left. Then I moved the stacks of paper from my desk and placed both trays on the wooden surface.

I heard Yelena walk in put didn't look up. While I was still examining the food, I pointed to the chair in front of the desk and she sat down.

"I hope that you're-" I began to say but stopped when I finally looked up at her. The dirt and grime had covered up her face the previous day but now I could see her clearly. Her eyes still had a spark of life in them, struggling to get out. I had seen that earlier. What I hadn't noticed yesterday was her subtle beauty. It wasn't anything dramatic. There were plenty of prettier ladies in the castle. Yelena held some sort of grace and kindness that other's lacked.

I contained my emotions as I had been taught and said, "It's amazing what a difference a bath and a uniform can make. I'll have to remember that. It might be useful in the future." I really wasn't concentrating on my words as I was still analyzing her face and posture. I needed to learn as much as I could about her personality as quickly as I could. It was vital to the Commander's safety.

I pushed the two plates of food to her and began the lesson. "Let's get started."

Before I could issue any more instructions, she blurted out, "I would rather start with the antidote."

I was puzzled. Certainly she wasn't feeling the poison yet. Maybe she was extremely allergic to the poison. Or more likely, she had forced her mind to conjure up those painful feelings. Emotions, especially fear, can trick the mind into believing in things that don't exist.

"You shouldn't be feeling any symptoms yet. They won't arrive until later this afternoon," I explained and then shrugged and moved to the cabinet. After removing the key from the cuff of my sleeve, I removed the bottle of White Fright from the shelf and measured out a single dose, smiling to myself. I always found it ironic that they always came back for the one thing that had poisoned them. I handed her the poison/antidote and them carefully slid the key back into my sleeve, making sure that she didn't see where it went.

"Drink up so we can start today's lesson," I ordered.

She drank the white liquid and I then pushed the Tigtus in front of her, telling her to smell. Gesturing to the two plates of breakfast, I had her identify which one contained the poison. After sniffing both of them, she determined that the left one had been sprinkled with the fine white powder.

"Good. Should you pick up that aroma from any of the Commander's food, reject it. The poison is called Tigtus and a single grain of the powder will kill within the hour," I explained, removing the poisoned food.

"Eat your breakfast. You'll need your strength," pointing to the other plate. We had a lot of work to do and not a lot of time. The poisons were waiting.


End file.
